


The Dynamo Job

by sarpndo



Category: Masks: A New Generation (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: AI, Divided Loyalties, F/M, Found Family Feels, Manipulation, Other, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2020-08-20 10:42:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20226523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarpndo/pseuds/sarpndo
Summary: Karina Thompson has always been good at computers. She's also a superhero. All she's ever wanted is for her family to be safe and to live a quiet life making the world better with technology.When the prestigious ABD Technologies offers her a job, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Little does she know that its CEO has plans for her. And not the good kind.Loyalties will be tested as motivations and morality grow hazy.





	1. A Job Offer

Kari shifted the bags in her grip, then grunted as someone collided with her. She might have maintained her grip on the bags if they hadn't grabbed her arms, forcefully yanking them both to the ground.

Kari scrambled to her feet, angrily eyeing the stranger. By all accounts they were perfectly ordinary, if a bit posh, with well-manicured hands and an impeccable pantsuit.

They stood up, dusting themselves off and extended a hand toward Kari. "My apologies. That was dreadfully clumsy of me."

Kari hesitated, then shook the offered hand. They hadn't seemed to recognize her yet, so she'd try and maintain the illusion of 'normalcy'. "No worries," she said casually, releasing their hand and beginning to collect her bags.

Their eyes roved over the collection of hardware and circuitry and raised an eyebrow. "Impressive collection of tech, what is it for?"

Kari hesitated. "Just a hobbyist."

They smiled then. "Imagine what you could do with a real budget," they murmured.

Kari frowned. "Who are you?"

They shook their head. "How rude of me." They reached into a breast pocket and produced a business card, elegant in its simplicity. Long, slender fingers offered it to her.

Kari raised an eyebrow but took the card.

_ Adrien Bradley, PhD _

_ CEO of ABD Technologies _

_ Halcyon City _

"Strange to see someone of your class here, Dr. Bradley," observed Kari.

"I like to explore the city I serve."

Kari nodded slowly, then gathered the last of her bags and started to leave.

"Are you employed, miss..."

"Karina," replied Kari, slowly, cautiously.

"Are you employed, Miss Karina?"

Kari shook her head. "Not...exactly."

Dr. Bradley smiled. She produced another business card. "Call my HR manager. Ask them about the Dynamic Interfaces position."

Kari took the business card. "Thank you?"

Dr. Bradley smiled widely. "No, Miss Karina, thank _ you _. I look forward to seeing what you can do with my resources."

Kari watched them leave, disturbed by a sense of wrongness she couldn't place.

She climbed the stairs to her apartment, unlocking the door as she pressed her hand to the biometric scanner installed on the handle and stepped inside.

* * *

Around the corner, Dr. Adrien Bradley stepped into the armored black car. The door shut and the car pulled away. They leaned back against the seat, a self-satisfied smile spreading across their face.

* * *

Kari set the business cards aside as she unpacked her newest haul, spending the rest of the day the same way she had for the past week: turning her gutted apartment into something safe, something that could be used for research and development, away from even the Team. She glanced at the picture, hung on the wall. It was old, they were all fresh-faced, and they were fighting some minor supervillain. Darkling had taken a selfie and Kari had...duplicated it off their phone.

She exhaled shakily, then glanced at the business cards again. "A real budget, huh?"

She pulled out her laptop and asked GENA to give her everything it had on Adrien Bradley and ABD Technologies.

News articles about ground-breaking, life-changing technologies

Schematics for prosthetics, nerve interfaces, virtual assistants

Budgets and payroll and employee manifests.

All perfectly normal, legal things.

_ Is that everything? _ she queried.

** _This is everything I have obtained from ABD Technologies and Dr. Adrien Bradley._ **

"Thank you," Kari said aloud, and glances at the clock. She sighed. "I'll call in the morning."

* * *

The next morning she called the HR number.

"_ Hello, and thank you for calling ABD Technologies. If you have complaints about our employees or services, please press 1. If you have questions about your product or service, please press 2. If you are interested in joining our team, please press 3. To talk to one of our virtual assistants, available 24/7, press 4. Thank you for calling ABD Technologies, have a nice day. This message will repeat. _"

The voice was cheerful and almost human, but there was a clarity to it that was rare in voice recordings. Kari hesitated then pressed 3.

"_ Hello, and welcome to ABD Technologies. If you want to check the status of an application please press 1. If you want a list of job opportunities, press 2. If you want to speak to an HR Representative, please stay on the line. ABD Technologies is the leading producer of life-improvement and assistive technologies. Join our innovative and progressive team today _."

There was a pause, then a click.

"_ Transferring you to the next available HR Representative _ . _ Please hold. _"

Kari leaned against the counter, the soothing sound of trickling water and a pan flute serving as hold music.

"_ Hello, and thank you for calling ABD Technologies. My name is Laura. How can I help you _?"

Kari raised an eyebrow. "Laura" sounded almost exactly like the recordings. "Are you human?" she asked.

The laughter on the other end of the phone was almost believable. "_ I am one of ABD Technologies' premier virtual assistants. For more information, please visit our website at www.ABDTech.org or call our Tech Center, 1-800-ABD-Tech, that's 1-800-223-8324 _."

Kari nodded slowly. "Right, I'm interested in the Dynamic Interfaces position?"

"_ Excellent! I will need your full name, phone number, and email address, and I can send you an application to fill out _."

Kari hesitated then conveyed the information.

"_ Thank you for your interest in ABD Technologies. We look forward to working with you _."

Laura hung up and Kari glanced at her laptop, which dinged with a new email.

The application was very standard, asking for background, applicable skills, and personal information. Notably, it did not require references, but she attached a couple anyway.

She sent the application in, then left her laptop, standing and stretching before surveying her apartment. She had reinforced all the windows, and installed cameras inside and outside, as well as motion detectors. Her living room had been turned into a command center, with a massive half-built computer against the wall, a series of large fans and A/C units placed around it. The room was capable of reaching almost freezing, to keep the super-computer cool.

She returned to work assembling said computer until her laptop dinged.

She raised an eyebrow as she opened the email from ABD Tech. "That was fast."

> _ Thank you for applying to the Dynamic Interfacing position at ABD Technologies. _
> 
> _ We have reviewed your application and would like to invite you to interview with us. Please respond with your soonest availability. _
> 
> _ Thank you. We look forward to adding you to our team._

Kari blinked. "They must have everything automated, huh?"

She replied that she was available today and the rest of the week.

The response was almost immediate.

> _ Please arrive at the ABD Technologies main office at 12pm. _
> 
> _ Confirmation of Interview: _
> 
> _ Karina Thompson _
> 
> _ 12:00pm _
> 
> _ Ericka Stevenson_

Kari glanced at the clock, pulled up a map, and scrambled into her bathroom.

She left the apartment fifteen minutes laster, cleaner and better dressed than she'd been in months.


	2. An Unusual Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karina has made it to ABD Technologies. The interview is nothing like any she has had before.

She arrived at the ABD Tech industrial complex five minutes before noon. The main office was helpfully labeled and she stepped into the lavish lobby, staring around her at the rich carpets and warm lighting coming from ornate fixtures hanging from arched ceilings.

She approached the front desk where a young adult, with bright eyes and a neat suit sat, tapping on a computer.

"Hello," she said, stopping at the desk. "I'm Karina Thompson. I'm here for an interview with, uh, Ericka Stevenson?"

They looked up from the computer with a broad smile. They stood and extended a hand. "Welcome to ABD Technologies, I'm Clark. Is there anything I can get you while you wait?" Clark gestured at the plush couches nearby. Their hand was smooth, too smooth and Karina found herself reaching for it.

She paused and pulled back, but Clark just grinned. "Do you want to see? This is the latest in ABD's prosthetic technologies. I can feel pressure and heat, and it responds exactly like a real hand." They moved it around, opening and closing his fingers. There was no delay and Kari leaned over it. "Is it a neural transmitter?" she asked, glancing at their face.

Clark laughed. "I don't really know any of the technical stuff. But I think it's wired to the nerves in my shoulder."

"Direct nerve interfacing?!"

"You must be Miss Thompson," said a smooth voice.

Karina turned to greet the newcomer.

"Ms. Stevenson!" greeted Clark. "On time as always."

Ericka Stevenson was petite, but wore tall heels and a tight pencil skirt. She extended a hand. "Ericka Stevenson, HR Manager for ABD Technologies. Welcome."

Kari took the offered hand which was cool to the touch. "Karina Thompson, hopeful applicant?"

Ericka smiled, a thin line but her eyes sparkled. "Follow me, Miss Thompson."

Clark waved cheerily. "Good luck, Miss Thompson!"

Kari smiled back at Clark and followed Ericka out of the lobby.

They went through several sealed doors, Ericka scanning her hand and an ID card at each, before stopping in a tech lab.

"Ms. Stevenson, I was under the impression that I would be giving an interview?"

"At ABD we believe actions speak louder than words," said Ericka, gesturing to the lab. "Your task is on the table. You have one hour."

Kari nodded and stepped into the lab. The door shut behind her and she flinched then glanced around her. She immediately realized that one wall was made of one-sided glass. She was being watched.

She squared her shoulders and walked to the table where a folder sat beside a large box.

She flipped open the folder.

> ** _Dynamic Interfacing Interview - Karina Thompson_ **
> 
> _ Thank you for your interest in ABD Technologies. Here at ABD Technologies we believe in Assisting and Bettering people's lives by Developing Technologies. To that end, please use the items in the box to your right and make an assistant for the blind. _
> 
> _ Thank you. Good luck. _

Kari blinked and swallowed. "An hour, huh?" she said aloud, then opened the box and got to work.

When the hour ended, the assembled canine robot could navigate the lab, provide a warning when approaching an object, and follow the basic commands of "stop", "go", and "help".

The door opened and Ericka Stevenson was waiting for Kari, as though she had never left. She smiled that same small, close-lipped smile and extended a hand. "Thank you, Miss Thompson, for that fascinating display. We will get back to you as soon as the board makes a decision."

Kari nodded, biting her tongue to keep from demanding what else they might want. In an hour she took a box of parts and turned it into a seeing eye dog. Nobody else could do that! "Thank you for this opportunity," she said instead and followed Ericka back to the lobby.

She left her there with Clark who smiled brightly. "How'd it go?"

"Well, I think," said Kari. "But you never know with these things."

Clark was still smiling. "Well, I hope you join our team," they said as Kari nodded, taking her leave of the lobby, and heading home.

* * *

"I'm impressed," said the man to Bradley's left, suited and with a dark beard.

"I don't know why we expected anything different," said the woman to their right, blonde and squeezed into a knee-length dress. "Dynamo built GENA on a cheap laptop."

"Why didn't we just hire her immediately?" asked the man.

"She's a superhero," said Dr. Bradley. "You know how they are. This had to look natural, authentic. She'll receive a call tomorrow morning asking her when she can start." They looked at the woman. "How is the campaign preparation going?"

"Very well," she replied. "Preliminary polls put you at the top of the list."

"Good," said Dr. Bradley, smiling. "Good."


	3. Chapter 3

Kari woke up to her phone ringing. "I thought I turned that off," she grumbled, reaching for it.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, is this Miss Karina Thompson?_"

"Yeah," said Kari, trying to place the voice.

"_My name is Kathy, I'm calling from ABD Technologies to offer you a position on our development team._"__

Kari sat upright. "You're hiring me?!"

There was a soft, simulated chuckle from the other end. "_We were very impressed by your work and would like to invite you to come back to our office. Please bring ID and proof of citizenship or US work eligibility. If you wish to set up direct deposit, please bring a blank check or your bank information. Thank you, and _

_welcome to our team!_"

"Thank you!" Kari said.

"_See you soon,_" said Kathy and the call ended.

_ _Kari stared at her phone for a moment before scrambling out of bed and putting on the next nicest clothes she owned and bolted out the door.__

* * *

She arrived at the lobby again, where Clark sat, just as cheery and chipper as they had been the day before. "Good morning, Miss Thompson!" they greeted. "I am so glad you'll be joining the team. There is no better place to work. Dr. Bradley and our team here at ABD Technologies really make a difference in the world."

Kari raised an eyebrow. "You memorize that off a pamphlet?" she asked.

Clark laughed. "It's the honest truth," they said.

They pulled out a clipboard with a handful of papers on it and offered it to Kari. "Trade?"

Kari chuckled and pulled her ID and social security card and handed it to Clark, taking the clipboard and pen from them.

She read through the onboarding paperwork, signed where appropriate and then handed it back. Clark returned her ID and social security card and smiled. "Give me a few minutes to enter all of this into your employee profile and then I'll escort you to the security desk to get your employee pass card and register you in our biometric system."

Kari nodded and leaned against the desk, watching Clark type. When they finished, Clark smiled. "Fascinating, isn't it?"

Kari flushed. "Sorry, sorry. I know it's rude of me."

"No, no," said Clark. "It's only natural."

"Can you tell me about what it's like?" she asked. "Having it, I mean."

Clark nodded, standing. "Of course. Follow me and I'll tell you on the way."

As they left, a holographic form appeared in front of the desk. Kari made a note to ask about it later.

"First you have to understand that I lost my arm about six years ago in a supervillain attack. I was trapped under a building and my arm was totally crushed. My parents tried to provide for me, after, but anything more than basic prosthetics were too expensive even with the payout from the Supervillain Damages Agency. Three years ago, someone from ABD Technologies approached us and offered to give us a prosthetic, if we agreed to be testers."

"So you were one of the first to get one?"

Clark nodded, smiling. "And it has changed my life. As I said yesterday, I believe there are neural connectors in my shoulder, which were surgically implanted, and once those were in, the arm was just installed."

"Is it painful?"

"A little, but no more than when your arm has been asleep for too long and…"

"Sensation returns! Fascinating. I wonder if it would be more painful for someone who never had the limb."

Clark shrugged. "I'm not the one to ask, really," they said. "I'm just the receptionist."

"How did you end up working here?"

"Well, I needed a job and they had just opened up a position."

Kari nodded. "Why do they need a person? Seems like they have holographic virtual assistants?"

"They did, for a while, but customer surveys reported that people, especially prospective customers felt more comfortable and welcome with an actual person. And given that I am a success story, it's an added bonus."

"Are there failures? Seems like everyone loves ABD Tech."

Clark shrugged. "If there are, they're minor and never made public. ABD Technologies does it's best to ensure complete satisfaction for all their clients."

Kari nodded.

"Ah! Here we are, security."

Clark scanned their hand and an ID card and the door swung open. The room was small, cold, and Kari realized that security was a computer, though there was no interface, save for a small biometric scanner on a pedestal in the center of the room.

A voice spoke from the walls.

"**Welcome Clark, Please identify your companion.**"

Clark cleared his throat. "Karina Thompson, new employee."

"**Querying ID 523264357, please wait.**"

Kari leaned closer to one of the housings.

"**Karina Thompson, Technical Specialist. Employment confirmed. Please place your right hand on the scanner to activate your ID.**"

Kari placed her hand on the scanner. It had gel on it and her hand sank into it. She realized that it was getting a three-dimensional scan of her hand.

"It scans your whole hand!"

"Lot harder to fake," said Clark.

"**Biometric scan uploaded. ID 523264357 activated. Welcome, Karina Thompson. Your ID card will print in a moment.**"

There was a humming noise from under the scanner and a card extended from under it.

"Oh, it's a card printer too."

Kari took the card and looked at it. It had a picture, her name, position, and the ID number listed on it.

"Blue, huh? That's pretty high clearance for a Technical Specialist," Clark murmured, almost to himself.

Kari raised an eyebrow but shrugged. "Now, where too?"

"I'll escort you to your lab," said a new voice.

They both turned and looked at the person in the doorway.

"Dr. Horus!"

Clark looked almost frightened but smiled at Kari. "Welcome again. Have a good day." They didn't run, but their departure was definitely an escape.

Dr. Horus was average in every way, save for a large mustache that obscured his top lip. Kari had several inches on him. He extended a hand. "Alfred Horus, PhD. You'll be working with me on the Locust project."

Kari hesitated then shook his hand and then he was off, walking toward a sealed door. She followed him, her long legs easily keeping pace despite his hurried walk.

"Can I ask about what was meant by the Dynamic Interfaces Position?"

He glanced at her. "Oh, yes. We use "Dynamic Interfaces instead of Artificial Intelligence, it gets us less press attention."

Kari managed to not stumble, though she did miss a step, her heartbeat loud in her ears. "AI?"

"Yes," said Dr. Horus, almost smugly. "ABD is looking at ways of improving our virtual assistants, as well as developing a line of AI assistance droids."

Kari recovered. "Fascinating. Like the seeing dog I made yesterday."

"Exactly," said Dr. Horus. "Though more sophisticated."

Kari began to protest, but he waved a hand. "It was excellent work. Especially since you only had an hour, but you've got a team now. Amateur hour is over." As he spoke he scanned another door and it swung open revealing a hallway, both long walls completely made of glass. To the left, she could see a clean room, automated fabricators making parts and integrated circuit boards. The other side was a lab, full of people on computers and testing components.

"I…" she began.

"Oh, you won't be in there," said Dr. Horus. "Those are just technicians. No, you'll have your own lab. They're part of the production. But if you need anything, they'll handle fabrication and QA. They're also good at running errands." He smiled at her, like he was sharing a joke, and Kari gave him a weak smile.

"Your lab is right here," he said, gesturing to another locked door.

She hesitated.

"It's keyed to your ID. I can't get in. Only you and members of the board can enter."

"Oh."

Dr. Horus frowned. "Oh, I almost forgot. Do you have a phone on you? Or any outside technology?"

"Just my phone," she said.

"All these rooms are shielded, all connections are hardwired only, but we still have a policy against external technology. Won't generally work in here anyway, but better safe than sorry."

He led her back to the hallway entrance and opened the door. Next to the door was a set of lockers. "Put your stuff here. Each locker is shielded too."

"Lot of security," observed Kari.

"Necessary," said Dr. Horus. "Even without viruses ravaging the internet and all connected servers, corporate competition is quite deadly."

"Were you not affected by the virus?" asked Kari, unable to keep the suspicion out of her voice.

Dr. Horus hesitated and glanced at her. "Of course we were. Fortunately, our backup servers were undamaged, shielded as they were. Which is when we implemented the current policy, to keep it from happening again."

"Oh, that makes sense," said Kari. She found an unclaimed locker and tucked everything into it, shutting it and locking it, pocketing the key.

"That's that, then," said Dr. Horus, re-entering the hallway and walking her back to her lab door.

"What am I supposed to be doing?"

"Your creation from yesterday is in there. We want you to perfect it. Make it more than a robot."

"What about a timeline?" she asked.

"Welcome to R&D, Miss Thompson. There is no timeline."

He left her standing there moving down the hallway and entering another lab, a plaque on it simply labeled "Alfred Horus, Ph.D."

She glanced at the door in front of her and realized that it too had a plaque: "Karina Thompson, Technical Specialist"

She scanned her hand and her card and the door unlocked, and she stepped into the lab, better equipped than any lab she had ever entered. If she had had this bringing back Nightingale…building GENA…

She stepped inside and let the door shut behind her. True to Dr. Horus' word, the robot dog was powered down on a table, next to all manner of diagnostic devices. She booted up the computer and got to work.


End file.
